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Resilience & Empowerment See back page for details

Page 1 Derbyshire Parent Carer Voice Issue 13 Jan 2019 info@derbyshireparentcarervoice.org

Disabled Students Allowance (DSA)

Do you have a young person preparing for University? Did you know that they can apply for DSA in addition to their student finance loans and grants to

cover any extra study-related costs they incur due to an impairment, mental health condition, or learning difficulty. It is not a benefit nor a loan, so it doesn’t need repaying. The amount they’ll receive depends on their individual needs not on income.

The DSA is available to both full-time and part-time students, those on unpaid sandwich courses, open and distance students, and those on postgraduate courses.

To check eligibility and for more details go to the website below:

www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowances-dsas

SEND LIFE HACK

Introducing Our Team: Louise Cheung

– Trustee & Social Media Co-ordinator

I have been involved with

Derbyshire Parent Carer

Voice for a few years. I have

a son who has complex

needs including deafness, a

mild learning disability & a

rare genetic disorder. He is accessing a

bespoke education package, including life

skills & vocational study. Being around other

parents in similar circumstances, weaving

our way though laws, guidelines,’ must dos’

& ‘should dos’ seems more do-able when

you know you are not on your own. I help

out whenever I can with the group,

especially with social media posts, as I think

having a parent/carer voice is important for

both the local authority & parents/carers,

what has happened to one parent/carer is

no doubt happening to someone else, & so

sharing ideas and practice among all of us is

crucial & very beneficial.

Family Fund help families across the UK who are raising a disabled or seriously ill child or young

person aged 17 or under. They look at any grant request that relates to the needs of your

disabled or seriously ill child, young person and your family. They have limited funding and may

not be able to help with everything you have asked for, especially where items are of a high

value. Examples of items that have been funded by Family Fund are: Sensory Toys & Equipment,

Family Breaks, Computers & Tablets and Family Days Out. To see if you meet the criteria and to

apply for a Family Fund Grant please visit:

www.familiyfund.org.uk

Page 2 Derbyshire Parent Carer Voice Issue 13 Jan 2019 info@derbyshireparentcarervoice.org

Our wonderful trustees at Derbyshire Parent Carer Voice are

looking for new parent/carers to join the team.

We’re looking for parent/carers with passion and enthusiasm to

help drive the charity. The role includes:

Attending a monthly committee meeting term time

Willingness to learn new skills to support the voice of the parent/carer

Challenging decisions and improving services using the voice of the county’s SEND

families.

For more information please contact us via email or telephone.

info@derbyshireparentcarervoice.org 01629 533666

The Safe Places Scheme aims to help

people feel safe when they are out and

about. A Safe Place will display a Safe

Place sticker on their window or door. Towns in

Derbyshire have places where people can go for help. The places can

be libraries, shops or council buildings. The staff in the Safe Places will

be trained to help people. Safe Places are places in Derbyshire people

can go if they, feel ill, are frightened , have been threatened or are lost.

Keep Safe Cards are available to all adults who live in Derbyshire aged over 18. You can

also apply if you have a learning disability and are aged over 16 years. The card has space for

you to write your name, contact details of a family member or carer and anything else a person

might need to know about you. If you're out and about and you need help, you can take the

card to a Safe Place to ask for help. For more information visit:

www.derbyshire.gov.uk/safeplace & www.derbyshire.gov.uk/keepsafecard

Myth My child needs to have a diagnosis before they can apply for an EHC (Education,

Health & Care) Needs Assessment.

Fact In considering whether an EHC needs assessment is necessary, the local authority

should consider whether there is evidence that despite the early years provider, school or

post-16 institution having taken relevant and purposeful action to identify, assess and meet the

special educational needs of the child or young person, the child or young person has not

made expected progress.’

(SEN Code of Practice 9:14)

The Local Authority will look at:

Your child’s attainments and rate of progress

Their special educational needs

What has already been done

The difference that support has made

Your child’s physical, emotional and social

development and health needs.

A medical diagnosis is not essential in

order to trigger a duty to provide support

for a child with SEN. It often takes time to

obtain a diagnosis even though it is

obvious the child has substantial needs.

It would be unlawful for a public body to

refuse to provide care and support

because there had been no diagnosis.

SEND LIFE HACK

Page 3 Derbyshire Parent Carer Voice Issue 13 Jan 2019 info@derbyshireparentcarervoice.org

Thank you to all who supported our Buxton Health & Wellbeing Day

in December by attending, funding or helping with the organisation.

A special massive thanks to Irwin Mitchell for the wonderful gifts for

our parent/carers, Buxton & Leek College students for pampering

us and the Bingham Trust for funding the event.

Page 4 Derbyshire Parent Carer Voice Issue 13 Jan 2019 info@derbyshireparentcarervoice.org

Chris Bonnello - a former

primary school teacher with

Asperger Syndrome who

has also worked in special

education, now an award-

winning writer and international speaker.

In 2015 he launched Autistic Not Weird

and was also a nominee for the 2017

National Diversity Awards (Positive Role

Model for Disability) and a two-time

winner at the Autism Hero Awards (Top

Journalist 2017, Online Social

Community 2018).

01629 533666

If you are a parent/carer of a child or young person with Special Educational Needs and/or

Disability and would like to attend this event, please follow the Eventbrite link on our

website. Alternatively you can telephone to register your attendance. Lunch and

refreshments will be provided so please indicate any dietary requirements. Crèche facility

will be available for all needs, please book this as early as possible.

Places are limited so don’t leave it too late to book your place!

www.derbyshireparentcarervoice.org

Derbyshire parent

carer voice @derbyshirepcv

Resilience & Empowerment

& AGM

Friday 22nd March 2019

10am—2pm

Dr Melanie Brown(CEO/

Director of Services for

NICE—Centre for

Movement Disorders) -

started her professional

career as a teacher, quickly moving into

the area of Special Education. In 1987 she

trained in Budapest for four years in the

field of Conductive Education (CE). Since

this time she has remained working at

NICE, a charity specialising in working with

children and adults neurological movement

disorders.

THE

DERBYSHIRE HOTEL

Carter Lane East

South Normanton

Derbyshire

DE55 2EH